Getting to Church

Exploring Narratives of Gender and Joining

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Marriage & Family, Gender Studies, Religion & Spirituality
Cover of the book Getting to Church by Sally K. Gallagher, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sally K. Gallagher ISBN: 9780190844509
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: August 4, 2017
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Sally K. Gallagher
ISBN: 9780190844509
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: August 4, 2017
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Why do people go to church? What about a congregation attracts new members? What is it that draws women and men differently into diverse types of congregations? Getting to Church assesses the deeply personal and gendered narratives around how women and men move toward identifying with three very different Christian congregations: one Orthodox, one conservative, and one mainline. Drawing on extensive research and ranging across layers of congregational history, leadership, architecture, new member process, programs, and service ministries, Sally Gallagher explores trajectories of joining, as well as membership loss and change over a seven-year period. By following both those who join a community and those who explore but choose not to, Gallagher avoids the methodological limitations of other studies and assesses the degree to which the spaces, people, programs, and doctrines within distinctive traditions draw women and men toward affiliation and involvement. Getting to Church demonstrates that women are attracted to specific doctrines and ideas, opportunities for individual reflection, experience and expanded personal agency; while men find in these congregations a sense of community within which they experience greater connection with other men, appreciate beauty, and yield to something greater than themselves. Drawing on extensive field work, personal interviews, and focus groups, Getting to Church challenges extant theories of gender and religious involvement.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Why do people go to church? What about a congregation attracts new members? What is it that draws women and men differently into diverse types of congregations? Getting to Church assesses the deeply personal and gendered narratives around how women and men move toward identifying with three very different Christian congregations: one Orthodox, one conservative, and one mainline. Drawing on extensive research and ranging across layers of congregational history, leadership, architecture, new member process, programs, and service ministries, Sally Gallagher explores trajectories of joining, as well as membership loss and change over a seven-year period. By following both those who join a community and those who explore but choose not to, Gallagher avoids the methodological limitations of other studies and assesses the degree to which the spaces, people, programs, and doctrines within distinctive traditions draw women and men toward affiliation and involvement. Getting to Church demonstrates that women are attracted to specific doctrines and ideas, opportunities for individual reflection, experience and expanded personal agency; while men find in these congregations a sense of community within which they experience greater connection with other men, appreciate beauty, and yield to something greater than themselves. Drawing on extensive field work, personal interviews, and focus groups, Getting to Church challenges extant theories of gender and religious involvement.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Free Pages and Other Essays by Sally K. Gallagher
Cover of the book The Oxford Book of Children's Verse in America by Sally K. Gallagher
Cover of the book Some of These Days by Sally K. Gallagher
Cover of the book The Infested Mind: Why Humans Fear, Loathe, and Love Insects by Sally K. Gallagher
Cover of the book Discourse and the Construction of Society by Sally K. Gallagher
Cover of the book The Fall of the Faculty:The Rise of the All-Administrative University and Why It Matters by Sally K. Gallagher
Cover of the book Sinews of Power by Sally K. Gallagher
Cover of the book Wetlands Explained by Sally K. Gallagher
Cover of the book Unwanted by Sally K. Gallagher
Cover of the book Behavioral Healthcare and Technology by Sally K. Gallagher
Cover of the book They Say in Harlan County by Sally K. Gallagher
Cover of the book When Doctors Become Patients by Sally K. Gallagher
Cover of the book Emotion in Memory and Development by Sally K. Gallagher
Cover of the book Our Time Has Come by Sally K. Gallagher
Cover of the book Southern Crossing by Sally K. Gallagher
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy